American Eden - From Monticello to Central Park to Our Backyards: What Our Gardens Tell Us About Who We Are

“American Eden moves luminously through landscapes of history, literature, biography, and design theory. . . . fusing sharp-edged analysis and graceful American prose.” —Kevin Starr, author of Golden Gate: The Life and Times of America's Greatest Bridge

“Informative and absolutely engrossing.”  —Ross King, author of Brunelleschi's Dome 

Garden designer and historian Wade Graham offers a unique vision of the story of America in this riveting exploration of the nation’s gardens and the visionaries behind them, from Thomas Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden, Fredrick Law Olmsted’s expansive Central Park to Martha Stewart’s how-to landscaping guides. In the tradition of Mark Kurlansky, Simon Schama, and Michael Pollan, Graham delivers a sweeping social history that examines our nation’s history from an overlooked vantage point, illuminating anew the living drama of American self-creation.

This unique exploration of the American landscape reveals:

A New Perspective on American History: Discover how the gardens of visionaries—from Thomas Jefferson to Michelle Obama—offer a surprising window into the nation’s politics, passions, and constant self-creation. The Politics of the Picturesque: Explore the dramatic shift from formal European styles to the distinctly American “natural” landscape, a change that mirrored the new nation’s democratic ideals. Founding Gardeners: Go inside Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, not just as a home, but as a complex map of his conflicted mind—a statesman, slave owner, and the nation’s foremost garden visionary. From Private Estates to Public Parks: Trace the evolution of the American garden from exclusive aristocratic grounds to grand public spaces like Central Park, reflecting a society’s changing relationship with nature and class. In-depth Garden History: Written in the tradition of Mark Kurlansky and Simon Schama, this is a must-read for anyone fascinated by design theory, landscape, and how the spaces we create define who we are.